TMZ reports that the outspoken comedienne had been due to feature on the show with daughter Melissa, in order to promote the pair's new series Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best?.

However, Joan's rep revealed that her appearance on the show was scrapped after she labelled Sarah Palin "stupid and a threat" in the wake of the shooting in Tucson, AZ, which left six people dead and a Democratic congresswoman in a critical condition.

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A spokesperson from Fox denied that Joan was banned as a result of her comments, explaining that the programme had been overbooked.

The network rep added that the producer had "mistakenly" cancelled the appearance instead of rescheduling it.